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Handling Too Many Emails and Speed-Reading on Screen

Written by: Susan Gregory

Article Overview: Many people struggle to keep up with all the information that bombards them at work through their computers. It's common for people to have hundreds of emails in their inbox, all waiting to be actioned, filed or deleted. Also, many find it difficult to read long documents on screen and print hundreds of pages of reports and articles and then leave those documents piled up around their desks. This article offers some helpful tips to deal with these issues.

Handling Too Many Emails and Speed-Reading on Screen

Handling emails A key principle is to realise that your inbox is NOT your to-do list. The reason you are keeping your emails in your inbox is because you either haven't figured out what you need to do with it OR you do know what the action is but you haven't done it.

If you haven't decided what you need to do about a particular email, it's likely that you will keep opening it, looking at it and then closing it because you're not yet ready to deal with it.

Here's a process to clear your inbox:

Step 1) Delete Junk. Decide whether you need to read the e-mail before you open it. Some e-mails are clearly junk. Other e-mails may be of some interest, however, you must be ruthless in deleting things that you do not have time to read. Becoming an effective reader is not just about reading faster, but also about making good decisions regarding the use of your time.

Step 2) Note any actions. Is there an action associated with this email? If so, write down what you need to do on a to-do list and include any relevant information. I use Outlook tasks for this. If the action will take less than 2 minutes, simply do it. If you need to delegate the action, forward it on!

Step 3) File relevant information. If there is no action associated, why are you keeping it? Delete it if it's not needed. However, you may be keeping the email because you need the information, such as a meeting location or phone number. Transfer the phone number to your contacts list/phone memory and the meeting location to your diary or calendar. File any emails that you need to keep for work/legal reasons.

The steps above may seem simple, but if you follow each part then you will be left with a list of tasks on your to-do list and not a jumble of emails that contain various different pieces of data. You feel in control of your inbox and more easily able to focus on what you need to do.

Reading on a computer screen

Many people find it more difficult to read on the computer screen than on printed material. This is partly due to the habit many people have of printing out long documents. Also, looking at a computer screen is slightly more tiring on the eyes due to the illumination of the screen. This is not an excuse to print out all long documents!

Here are a few tips to help you to read quickly on a computer screen:

* Preview the document by looking at each page for a few seconds to get to grips with the layout and key themes. This will aid your understanding and allow you to read faster.

* Use the mouse and cursor to help to guide your eyes across the line you are reading.

* Use the page up and page down keys, as well as the arrow keys, to help you to browse the material.

* Adjust the brightness and contrast of your computer screen to a comfortable level.

* Focus on which parts of the document or e-mail you need to read, and just read those.

Finally, if you really do need to print something out, only print it when you are ready to read it. Print only the sections you have decided to read. Make notes or take the relevant action. If you have made good notes, there should be no need to keep a printed copy of the material. Recycle the printed material once you have finished.

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Article Tags: decisions, diary, e mail, email, inbox, jumble, nbsp, outlook tasks, phone memory, phone number, principle, step 1, step 2, step 3
Referred by: http://www.rscbusinessgroup.com



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Re: Awesome Resource: Instapaper - So far the only thing I use the filters for is to send all the safelist emails I get to a folder. It currently has over 386,000 emails in it. This is a really good tip though. I need to start utilizing it. Emails eat up too much of my time right now.
Re: Awesome Resource: Instapaper - [quote="billgelwick":3jk3d6mn]This is a really good tip though. I need to start utilizing it. Emails eat up too much of my time right now.[/quote:3jk3d6mn] It's probably the biggest single productivity issue for most entrepreneurs!
Hiring the best people for the job - One of the hardest things I had to do as an entrepreneur was to give up control over a project to someone else. Currently, I am having a professional design my website for me. Sure I can do it myself, or hire someone to do it how I tell them, but what would I learn? Handling the technological side of the business is not my strong suit, so i had to find someone who knew more about the subject than I did and also has done what I want to do before. It has been a learning experience, and the great thing about it is it frees me up to do what I do best in my business, and letting someone else do what they do best. I have been brought up with the mindset that [i:vazquuoz]if you want it done right you [/i:vazquuoz][i:vazquuoz]have to do it yourself[/i:vazquuoz]. I am slowly but surely weening myself away from that mindset and learning how to delegate more effectively. Now I am extremely selective on who I hire, and my goal is to surround myself around people who are smarter than myself in their area of expertise.
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